A lot has been said about the new 2011 Ford Mustang, which receives a bevy of significant upgrades for the 2011 model year. Chief among these are two all-new engine options: a 3.7 liter V6 good for 305hp for the base Mustang and a 412hp 5.0 liter V8 in the Mustang GT. Both of these new powerplants are impressive, but the new V8 in the Mustang GT is attracting the most attention.

A 2011 Mustang GT with that new 5.0 liter V8 just arrived at a local Ford dealer, so I stopped by early this morning to grab a few photos. Are you looking forward to the new 2011 Mustangs, or are you more fond of the Chevy Camaro or Dodge Challenger? Sound off in the comments section.

Well, not really, but the automaker is making a strong patriotic statement in support of the American team playing against the English team in an upcoming World Cup soccer (football to the rest of the world) match. The company has put together a TV ad showing General George Washington riding to battle in a Dodge Challenger against some English redcoats. It’s a humorous segment,  but I think Dodge could have gone a step farther.

Instead of a trio of black Dodge Challengers, what if the ad was a joint effort by all of the American automakers in support of the US world cup team, perhaps featuring a Corvette ZR1, a Ford Shelby GT500, and a Dodge Challenger SRT-8? The ad would have had much more patriotic impact, and the addition of the ZR1 and the Shelby could have helped fend off a Redcoat counterattack using the the likes of the Jaguar XKR, Aston Martin V12 Vantage, and the McLaren MP4-12C.

Despite announcing a while ago that the Dodge Viper was getting the axe, the Chrysler Group LLC just announced it has decided to reverse that earlier decision and will continue with production of the Viper. The Viper was scheduled to cease production in December 2009, but it appears that production of the V-10 powered monster will continue.

Here’s the key bit from the Chrysler news release: “[The] Chrysler Group is no longer pursuing a sale of the Viper business assets.”

Here’s more from the announcement: (Read the full text of the release here.)

“The Dodge Viper has successfully captured the hearts and imagination of performance enthusiasts around the globe,” said Mike Accavitti, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dodge Brand. “We’re extremely proud that the ultimate American-built sports car with its world-class performance will live on as the iconic image leader for the Dodge brand. “

For 2009, the Dodge Viper SRT10 offers outrageous power, with an 8.4-liter, 600-horsepower (450 kW) V-10 engine contributing to blistering acceleration (0-60 mph in less than four seconds, 0-100-0 mph in the low 12-second range), setting an American sports car benchmark.

To date, more than 25,000 Dodge Vipers have been built.

(Photo: Chrysler Group LLC)

Season 13 of Top Gear returned to BBC Two last month, and episode 106 hit the airwaves (and YouTube) a few days ago. Despite being chock full of excellent content (Jeremy Clarkson gives his thoughts on the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black), the highlight of the episode was undoubtedly Captain Slow (James May) visiting California to take a drive with rally/stunt driver Ken Block.

What ensues is arguably one of the best Top Gear segments ever, with May taken on an eye-popping, white-knuckle ride with Block (and his 380hp Subaru Impreza STI rally car) around, across, through, and then out into the wide open spaces around Inyokern airport in California. Former motocross champion Ricky Carmichael also makes a cameo, but the real stars here are behind the camera: the Top Gear film crew should be given a boot full of awards for their efforts here. Fantastic stuff.

We just received word that Mitsubishi has inked a deal with Jim Russell Racing Drivers School to launch a new driver training course that will feature a number of specially-prepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. Dubbed The Jim Russell Lancer Evolution Experience, this new program will premiere on Saturday, July 11th at the Mitsubishi Owners Day (MOD) event held at Mitsubishi’s campus in Cypress, CA.

Here’s more from the Mitsubishi press release about the new driving program and the MOD event festivities:

The Jim Russell Lancer Evolution Experience program will offer a full day of instruction that begins in the classroom and continues on the exciting track as drivers get behind the wheel of the latest Lancer Evolution. The curriculum will focus on improving a driver’s technique, speed and car control skills at Infineon Raceway, one of the most challenging race tracks in North America.

“Deciding to work with Mitsubishi Motors for The Lancer Evolution program was an easy choice,” said Chip Pankow, president of Jim Russell Racing Drivers School. “We have been using the 4G63 engines in our Lola-built school cars and found them to be exceptionally reliable. The launch of The Jim Russell Lancer Evolution Experience strengthens our position as the leader in delivering new concepts and deliverables for automotive manufacturers seeking to broaden their customer base.”

Those in attendance at M.O.D. will witness the reveal of two of the cars to be used in the Jim Russell Lancer Evolution Experience, as well as the single-seat, open-wheel FJR-50, Formula 3 derived race car, which is designed by Lola Cars International Ltd. and powered by the venerable Mitsubishi 4G63. More than 1,500 owners and enthusiasts from around the country are expected to attend this year’s M.O.D. which will showcase everything from Starions and 3000GTs to Eclipses and Lancer Evolutions.

In addition, all Mitsubishi owners will be eligible to participate in a drawing for a number of highly coveted prizes from participating vendors. The grand prize at the 2009 M.O.D. drawing will be the very first seat in the Jim Russell Lancer Evolution Experience at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., worth $1,000.

(Photo: Mitsubishi Motors North America)

Now that Twitter has become a ubiquitous tool for exchanging short bits of information (in 140 characters are less), we’re starting to see an increasing number of automakers turning to Twitter to communicate with customers and prospective buyers.

Like every other new communications medium, some organizations take longer than others to hop on the bandwagon. Granted, there still is a fair amount of bandwidth-clogging TMI on Twitter, but it is useful for a variety of things. Guy Kawasaki has argued that Twitter is one of the most valuable marketing tools ever created, so it was inevitable that more companies — including some automakers — would make a foray into the Twitterverse.

I’ve put together a draft list of official automaker Twitter feeds (see below) which I’ll attempt to keep updated on a regular basis. If you know of an official automaker Twitter account that isn’t on this list, drop me an email at jeff@drivelineblog.com and I’ll add it lickety-split. (Almost forgot: You can also follow Driveline Blog on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/drivelineblog.)

Automakers Using Twitter

• Acura_Insider
• Chrysler
• fiskerauto
• Ford
• FordFiesta
• FordMustang
• FordTransitConn
• GMblogs
• GMreinvention
• JaguarUKPR
• KMA_PR
• Toyota

While most of the changes to the vehicle will likely fall into the cosmetic (both interior and exterior) category, it will still be a significant refresh. Motor Trend is reporting that there’s a possibility the revamped Mustang may even get Ford’s new EcoBoost twin turbo V6 as an engine option.

Specific details will have to wait until the 2008 LA Auto Show (Nov 21-30), the venue where Ford plans to unveil the updated pony car. While we all wait, feel free to click through this gallery of available images.

Top Gear host and automotive curmudgeon Jeremy Clarkson has consistently professed his disgust for American cars, claiming that a European variant of the Chrysler 300 had “wallow-matic suspension” and that driving the Jeep Grand Cherokee was so uncomfortable it felt like it was “made entirely from melted Lego.”

That’s why Clarkson’s recent, glowing review of the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V required a double-take: he actually liked it. You can see his full review of this new BMW M5-eating Caddy (and more of his entertaining reviews) over in the Times Online driving section.

Update: The UK Mirror is reporting (via Autoblog) that Clarkson recently survived a serious car crash during the filming of a recent episode of Top Gear. For more info, read the Autoblog take on the UK Mirror story. We all hope that Clarkson heals quickly and is up and driving again soon.

I’ve never been very good at keeping track of gas mileage for my personal vehicles, but I’ve always wanted to. A new website called Mymilemarker.com promises to take the drudgery out of computing your mileage, thanks to a slick interface and a customizable database you can use to store information about your vehicles.

The site isn’t that fully-featured at the moment–and there are some bugs and glitches to be sorted–but it’s well worth a look if you’re interested in tracking mileage, oil change intervals and other important bits about your vehicles.

Visit Mymilemarker.com for more details and a free account. (Source: Mymilemarker) [- Jeff James]

Internet search behemoth Google unveiled a new initiative last week designed to raise awareness of plug-in hybrids and “vehicle-to-grid” technology. The currrent program involves a number of conventional hybrids (specifically 4 Toyota Priuses and 2 Ford Escapes) that have been modified by electric-car specialist Hymotion to plug-in hybrid status. Google’s stated goal is to eventually have “…over 100 plug-in hybrids in its corporate fleet as demand grows and cars become commercially available.” The Prius image and infographic above is taken from the Google.org RechargeIt site, and shows what sort of improvements the plug-in hybrids in Google’s initiative offer.

In addition to the plug-in hybrid modifications, the other significant part of the initiative is the ability of vehicles to share their excess electric charge with the electricity grid. This RechargeIt video explains the process in a bit more detail. (Don’t miss the bit towards the end with former CIA Director James Woolsey talking about a new convergence between “tree-huggers…evangelicals…mom and pop drivers and Willie Nelson.”)

While it’s doubtful that the RechargeIt initiative will impact fuel consumption on a large scale — after all, we’re talking about 6 vehicles at the outset here — it does show that interest in plug-in hybrids and alternative fuel sources is growing significantly. Perhaps initiatives like this could help push companies like General Motors into developing vehicles like the Chevy Volt? (Source: Google.org) – [Jeff James]